At about midnight on Thursday, the 5th of December DW's director Allan Cain was en route to Johannesburg when Nelson Mandela's death was announced on the airport display screens. The following is Allan's reflection on Mandela's passing.

I remember the first and only time I saw Nelson Mandela in May 1990. Shortly after being released from prison, he chose to come to Angola as his first trip abroad. Julia and I and our two children Mathieu and Rebecca walked from home, the short distance to Largo 1 de Maio where he was speaking. I told my 9 year old son that this was a historic event that I hoped he would remember. Mandela thanked Angola for the sacrifices that the country made for supporting the ANCâs liberation movement in their fight against the apartheid regime...

The song, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika ("Lord Bless Africa" in Xhosa) is my favorite piece of music that I associate with Mandela and that whole period of time. The song was the official anthem for the ANC during the apartheid era and was a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement. Today it makes up part of the South African national anthem.

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